1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a non-wettable glass sheet which is resistant to UV-radiation, and a process for the manufacture thereof. A "non-wettable" glass sheet is a glass sheet to which liquids do not adhere. The present glass sheets are useful, for example, in vehicles and buildings.
2. Discussion of the Background
Glass sheets which do not frost over are known; for example, from the French patent application published under U.S. Pat. No. 2,635,319. This publication presents a glass sheet coated with a hydrophobic layer obtained by applying a solution containing an organosilane with a hydrocarbon chain on the suitably-prepared glass. These glass sheets have a clearly marked hydrophobic nature. For certain applications, however, the treatment of the glass sheets appears to be insufficiently resistant. This is specifically observed in certain cases when the glass sheet is subjected to an intense exposure to UV radiation, specifically to type B UV radiation, which may occur when the glass sheets are intended for use in aviation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,983,459 proposes a glass sheet having a hydrophobic nature and on which the effects of friction are minimized through forming on the surface to be treated a coating obtained from a mixture of perfluoroalkyl alkyl silane and a fluorinated olefin telomer. Again in this case, the properties of the glass sheet do not appear adequate for an extended use.